Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Hillman Composite Beam (Hcb®), Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The Hillman-Composite Beam (HCB®), is an innovative structural member for use in highway and railroad bridges as well as marine facilities. The HCB is essentially a lightweight reinforced concrete beam strengthened and protected by a corrosion-resistant and resilient Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) shell.

The beam is comprised of three main components, a concrete arch (compression reinforcement), an FRP bottom flange encapsulating steel strands tying the ends of the arch together (tension reinforcement) and the FRP shell. Galvanized Rebar “shear connectors” are used to make the beam composite with the concrete deck in the same manner as pre-stressed concrete beams.

The …

Taruc: A Topology-Aware Resource Utility And Contention Benchmark, Gavin Baker, Chris Lupo

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Computer architects have increased hardware parallelism and power efficiency by integrating massively parallel hardware accelerators (coprocessors) into compute systems. Many modern HPC clusters now consist of multi-CPU nodes along with additional hardware accelerators in the form of graphics processing units (GPUs). Each CPU and GPU is integrated with system memory via communication links (QPI and PCIe) and multi-channel memory controllers. The increasing density of these heterogeneous computing systems has resulted in complex performance phenomena including nonuniform memory access (NUMA) and resource contention that make application performance hard to predict and tune. This paper presents the Topology Aware Resource Usability and …

A Conceptual Framework For Understanding Latent Demand: Accounting For Unrealized Activities And Travel, Kelly Clifton

PSU Transportation Seminars

Latent demand—the activities and travel that are desired but unrealized because of constraints—have been historically examined from the standpoint of understanding the impacts of proposed capacity or service improvements on travel demand.

Drawing on work from a variety of theoretical perspectives, this paper presents a broader conceptual view of latent demand that provides a useful framework for researching and understanding these unmet needs. This is important from an equity standpoint, as it provides insights into to questions of transport disadvantage, social exclusion and poverty.

The framework presented here is theoretical in nature and untested empirically. This study aims to promote …

Effects Of Tire Inclination (Turning Traffic) And Dynamic Loading On The Pavement Stress-Strain Responses Using 3-D Finite Element Modeling, Xiaodi Hu, Abu N.M. Faruk, Jun Zhang, Mena I. Souliman, Lubinda F. Walubita

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this study, ABAQUS finite element (FE) modeling in three-dimensional (3-D) loading mode was utilized to analytically investigate and quantify the effects of tire inclination and dynamic loading on the stress-strain responses of a pavement structure under varying loading and environmental conditions. The input variables for modeling consisted of actual laboratory and field data obtained from an in-service highway US 59 and included the in-situ pavement structure, material properties (i.e., modulus and shear strength), traffic, and climatic (i.e., temperature) data. Computational modeling and sensitivity analyses were conducted through variation of the following two input variables with a focus on the …

The Significance Of A High Resolution 2d Hydraulic Model Including Green Infrastructure For Assessment Of Coastal Community Vulnerability And Resilience, Katie M. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This paper outlines the development of an enhanced hydraulic flood model that uses a fine-scale grid to analyze significant areas of flooding for improved flood predictions and resiliency planning. This study modeled the extent of Atlantic City and Camden, New Jersey. The capabilities of the model were compared to coarser national models, HAZUS-MH and SLOSH, to understand the significance of fine-scale hydraulic modeling. The results illustrated that the HAZUS and SLOSH models showed gaps in some areas and lacked accuracy due to lower resolution. This paper also describes how these developed models show the impacts of severe storms, and the …

Comparison Of Chemical-Use Between Hydraulic Fracturing, Acidizing, And Routine Oil And Gas Development, Mary Kay Camarillo, William T. Stringfellow, J. K. Domen, S. B. Shonkoff

All Faculty Articles - School of Engineering and Computer Science

The potential hazards and risks associated with well-stimulation in unconventional oil and gas development (hydraulic fracturing, acid fracturing, and matrix acidizing) have been investigated and evaluated and federal and state regulations requiring chemical disclosure for well-stimulation have been implemented as part of an overall risk management strategy for unconventional oil and gas development. Similar evaluations for chemicals used in other routine oil and gas development activities, such as maintenance acidizing, gravel packing, and well drilling, have not been previously conducted, in part due to a lack of reliable information concerning on-field chemical-use. In this study, we compare chemical-use between routine …

Increased Span Length For The Mgs Long-Span Guardrail System Part Ii: Full-Scale Crash Testing, Dylan T. Meyer, John D. Reid, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Robert W. Bielenberg, Ronald K. Faller

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The objective of this research study was to design and evaluate the MGS long-span design for use with unsupported spans greater than 25 ft (7.6 m). Two full-scale crash tests were conducted to evaluate the MGS long-span system with increased span lengths and the use of UBSP posts adjacent to the long span. Both tests were conducted according to the TL- 3 criteria outlined in MASH. Both test nos. MGSLS-1 and MGSLS-2 were conducted with the 2270P vehicle impacting their respective critical impact points at a speed of 62 mph (100 km/h) and an angle of 25 degrees. Test no. …

Hyporheic Nitrate Uptake And Stoichiometric Limitations: Mesocosm Experiments Along A River Continuum., Vanessa A. Garayburu Caruso

Civil Engineering ETDs

Nutrient uptake in streams and rivers is controlled by complex transport dynamics and biogeochemical interactions, which together regulate nutrient export from watersheds. Decoupling the relative contributions of transport and biogeochemical processes to nutrient uptake at the watershed scale has been challenging due to the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of physicochemical properties. Furthermore, logistical constraints have resulted in solute-specific analyses, primarily concentrated in headwater streams, that disregard the role of stoichiometry in controlling biological uptake. We used experimental mesocosm (column experiments) along the Jemez River-Rio Grande continuum (1^st-8^th stream order) to isolate spatial differences in biological nitrate uptake. …

Getting To Know The Data: Understanding Assumptions, Sensitivities, Uncertainty, And Being "Conservative" While Using Ite's Trip Generation Data In The Land Development Process, Kristina Marie Currans

PSU Transportation Seminars

Many agencies rely on trip generation estimates to evaluate the transportation impacts of land development in urban and suburban areas alike. Over the past decade, substantial attention has been paid to one national set of guidelines—the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Handbook (2014) and corresponding Manual (2012)—focusing in particular to improve the use of these data and supplementary methods for urban contexts.

The purpose of this study is to explore the typical data provided in the Handbook, within the context of these new improved state-of-the-art methods. As ITE’s describes, “an example of poor professional judgment is to rely …

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Clearview Font And Fluorescent Yellow Sheeting On Michigan’S Freeways, Lusanni Acosta Rodriguez

Research and Creative Activities Poster Day

Halation and irradiation make guide sign fonts hard to recognize. Drivers missing the needed information tend to be anxious and confused potentially causing fatal accidents. In order to avoid or mitigate the situation a newer font, Clearview, is installed to provide better readability in nighttime and from far distances. In a similar, context, the lack of brightness in sheeting material for warning signs leads to missing the cautionary information. Installation of fluorescent yellow sheeting provided signs with more noticeable and brighter materials. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Clearview fonts along with fluorescent yellow sheeting installed in Michigan freeways. …

Ceas Student Center Expansion, Turner Solterman

Honors Theses

Western Michigan University has had a long-standing tradition of engineering excellence. To keep up with the modern culture and to maintain that Western will be on the forefront of universities providing an excellent engineering education, an expansion to the current CEAS building on the Parkview campus is necessary. Aptly named the CEAS Student Center Expansion, this project will be a space exclusively for student engineering groups to work in a space where collaboration across different engineering disciplines will be as easy as walking across the floor to talk to someone else. Through the floor plans of the different alternatives …

Development Of A Flow Duration Curve To Determine Hydropower Feasibility, Susan Estep, Elise Estep, Dr. Jim Nelson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to derive Flow Duration Curves (FDCs) by three separate methods in order to compare the accuracy of these methods. The FDCs would be used to estimate the amount of water that would be consistently available for hydropower.

Oxidation Of Substituted Catechols At The Air-Water Interface: Production Of Carboxylic Acids, Quinones, And Polyphenols, Elizabeth A. Pillar, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Anthropogenic activities contribute benzene, toluene, and anisole to the environment, which in the atmosphere are converted into the respective phenols, cresols, and methoxyphenols by fast gas-phase reaction with hydroxyl radicals (HO(•)). Further processing of the latter species by HO(•) decreases their vapor pressure as a second hydroxyl group is incorporated to accelerate their oxidative aging at interfaces and in aqueous particles. This work shows how catechol, pyrogallol, 3-methylcatechol, 4-methylcatechol, and 3-methoxycatechol (all proxies for oxygenated aromatics derived from benzene, toluene, and anisole) react at the air-water interface with increasing O3(g) during τc ≈ 1 μs contact time and contrasts their …

Industrial-Grade Monitoring Solution: Hoistcam, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Safety and productivity are top priorities for contractors and industrial operations. Improving either makes a company more profitable and competitive. Technology advancements that can do both are important for every company to consider. HoistCam^TM industrial-grade video monitoring solutions can improve employees’ productivity and workplace safety in the construction industries. HoistCam also improves efficiency of operations and reduces job site accidents resulting in substantial cost savings to a contractor.

HoistCam™ is an integrated, wireless video system. The use of HoistCam eliminates blind lifts, blind spots and can share the live video with anyone, anywhere with solid security and easy control. …

Ls-Dyna® Modeling Enhancement Support, John D. Reid, Robert W. Bielenberg, Chaz Ginger

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The Pooled Fund Program member states provided funding for LS-DYNA modeling enhancements in Years 17 thru 22 (2006-2011), with a project period of 2006-2016. This report documents many of the modeling issues addressed throughout the project period. The funding has been effectively utilized to advance the current state-of-the-art for computer simulation and has provided the following benefits for the entire industry: (1) improved roadside safety hardware, (2) reduced development time and cost, (3) improved understanding of the behavior of roadside safety features, especially for impacts outside of normal crash test conditions, (4) improved LS-DYNA modeling techniques and procedures, and (5) …

Integrated Framework For Wildfire Risk Mitigation Planning At The Wildland/Urban Interface, Elmira Kalhor

Civil Engineering ETDs

Past suppression-based wildfire management practices have increased the frequency and intensity of wildfires. Advocates for the re-introduction of natural wildfire regimes must also prioritize wildfire damage protection, especially for vulnerable communities located near forests. Areas where urban and forest lands interdigitate are called the Wildland Urban Interfaces (WUIs). In the United States, the area of the WUIs is increasing, making more people vulnerable to wildfires. By responding to four research objectives, this dissertation proposed and tested an integrated framework for wildfire risk mitigation decision making at WUIs. Decision makers who could benefit from the results of this dissertation include WUI …

Reactor Design And Operation Variables To Improve Mixed Algal Biomass Productivity And Solids Separation: An Examination Of Operation Parameters, Density, And Settleability, Derek Jan Wichhart

Civil Engineering ETDs

Algae have been identified as a source of renewable, clean energy, with much research being devoted to identifying high energy yield algae, energy extraction methods, and reactor design with mono-cultures of algae, but little research has been done on reactor design and operational conditions with mixed cultures of algae to improve productivity and solids separation. The objective of this study was to determine if the settling characteristics of mixed algal cultures can be enriched or improved through manipulation of reactor design characteristics by incorporating cyclic settling or floating phases into operation, timing of light/dark cycles, and/or control of the solids …

Evaluating The Impact Of Different Types Of Stabilized Bases On The Overall Performance Of Flexible Pavements, Andrae Anthony Francois

Theses and Dissertations

This study was initiated with the aim of evaluating the impact of stabilized and untreated base layers on the performance (i.e., fatigue and rutting) of flexible pavements. Four field sections constructed using stabilized base layers (i.e., bituminous (asphalt emulsion), calcium chloride (CaCl-2), Portland cement, and geogrid stabilized base layers) and a control section constructed using untreated RAP aggregates were analyzed in this study. Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) tests were conducted on all the field sections and the collected data was used to backcalculate the elastic moduli for all layers. The influence of the stabilized bases and the untreated RAP base …

Application Of Ground Penetrating Radar To Highway-Related Problems, Rauf Rejab Hussein

Theses and Dissertations

The Broadway Bridge, constructed in 1923, crosses the Arkansas River in the downtown area of Little Rock, AR and was the main crossing point between Little Rock and North Little Rock. The structural deterioration of the bridge reached a level beyond patch and repair. Accordingly, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD), in collaboration with the City of Little Rock, allocated the required resources ($98.4M) to demolish and replace the bridge. Due to the age of the bridge site and the limited knowledge of the subsurface utility layout, it became clear that geotechnical work be done in order to map …

The Sustainability Of Ion Exchange Water Treatment Technology, Adib Amini

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated using a life cycle environmental and economic approach to evaluate IX technology for small potable water systems, allowing for the identification and development of process and design improvements that reduce environmental impacts and costs. The main goals were to evaluate conventional IX in terms of life cycle environmental and economic sustainability, develop a method for improving designs of IX systems from a environmental and economic sustainability standpoint, evaluate potential design improvements, and make the research findings accessible to water professionals through user-friendly tools and frameworks that take into account their feedback. This research provides an understanding, from …

Use Of Chemical And Isotopic Identifiers To Characterize Ground Water Contamination Near Two Uranium Mill Sites, Central Nm, Mitchell T. Schatz

Civil Engineering ETDs

Chemical and isotopic signatures were used to discriminate between anthropogenic ground water and naturally occurring constituents. The U-234/U-238 activity ratio (AR) was determined in 34 samples from several aquifers underlying two former uranium mills near Milan, NM. Disposal of uranium ore waste into unlined tailings resulted in ground water contamination in the Lower San Mateo Creek Basin area. Ground water contamination from uranium mills have impacted the local ground water for residents down-gradient from the mills.

Previous studies that used uranium isotopes identified activity ratios of mill-derived uranium were near the secular equilibrium of 1, and those from natural ground …

2017 Asc Bidding Competition – Heavy Civil, Shandy Holm, Kenneth Hunter, Kendra Jackson, Carlos Martinez, Jacob Nistler, Katherine Schuler

Proceedings of the Annual Montana Tech Electrical and General Engineering Symposium

We represent the 2017 Montana Tech Heavy Civil Team. Our senior design project consisted of competing in the Region 6 ASC (Associated Schools of Construction) Heavy Civil Bidding Competition in Sparks, Nevada. The competition required a full year of preparation. The fall semester was composed of planning, practicing, and gathering resources. The spring semester involved traveling to Sparks, Nevada, and performing in the competition. Preparing for the competition involved practice bids, where the team studied various aspects of heavy civil construction. Time was devoted to developing presentation skills, and different team bonding exercises encouraged unit cohesion. Finally, our preparation culminated …

Transportation Engineering: Traffic Control Simulator, Sarah V. Hernandez, Karla Diaz-Corro, Taslima Akter, Magdalena Asborno, Fu Durandal

Civil Engineering Teaching and Learning

The purpose of these lesson plans is to introduce students to traffic signalization basics. Students will be lead through a series of mini-lectures on traffic control and signalization including a discussion on the limitations and benefits of traffic signalization. The lesson plans compliment a computer simulation “game” in which students act as manual operators for a single up to four by four gridded intersection. Students attempt to control the progression of signals to understand the relationship between signal timing and user delay. Through experimentation with the simulation, students generate a presentation discussing the benefits and drawbacks of signal timing and …

Water, Sanitation And Hygiene In Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, Katelyn Bergl

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Investigating Geothermally-Sourced H2s Pollution In The Reykjavík Area: A Case Study Of Early March 2017., Shawnee Traylor

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As geothermal energy becomes more widely implemented globally, it is critical to have an accurate assessment of the costs and benefits this technology may pose in order to plan, prevent, and mitigate pollution. Meteorological data sets from the Icelandic Met Office were analyzed in conjunction with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels in the Reykjavík area as a case study in the meteorological conditions leading to elevated H2S levels (>50 μg m-3) on March 1-3, 2017. Primary variables of interest were wind speed and direction, temperature, atmospheric stability, and humidity. Climate change is predicted to weaken the Gulf Stream, influencing all …

Quality Of Water In Relation To Diarrheal Disease Incidence In Obunga, Tianna Herman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Kenyan cities are experiencing a serious dilemma in dealing with the large influx of people from rural parts of the country to the cities. Most people come to the city in pursuit of better opportunities and jobs. Rapid urban growth with little planning and preparation by the national and county governments has led to the development of informal settlements. These informal settlements are characterized by poor environmental conditions that predispose their residents for poor health conditions. Because of their illegal status, most residents of informal settlements in Kenya do not receive government services such as water, drainage, sewerage, and rubbish …

Solid Waste Management In The Developing World: The Role Of Local Government In Kisumu, Kenya, Rachel Schlueter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the world becomes more urbanized, more waste is being produced. According to United Nations projections in 2014, 66% of the world’s population will be living in cities by 2050 with the majority of growth occurring in African cities. Managing urban waste in lower-middle income countries, such as Kenya, poses a particular challenge as income levels rise, municipal capacities are stretched, and foreign loans complicate accountability. This project sought to assess the practical role of local government when managing solid waste in the context of long-term development strategies. The objectives of this study are to first establish the current role …

Rate-Limited Mass Transfer Of Trichloroethene, Deza R. Irving

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Trichloroethene (TCE) is a volatile and toxic contaminant commonly found in the subsurface. To help reduce the effects of this contaminant, it is important to understand the transport and fate behavior of TCE through the subsurface. As groundwater fills the void spaces of a porous media contaminated with pure-phase TCE, the TCE will dissolve into the water, contaminating the groundwater. It was expected that this dissolution would follow a first-order mass transfer process, suggesting that the rate of dissolution of TCE is dependent on the mass of TCE present in solution. The purpose of this study was to characterize the …

Porous Concrete Design, Jonathan Ang, Erik Lihndal

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

Porous concrete is a special kind of concrete that has high porosity. The only difference between porous concrete and normal concrete is that a porous concrete mix does not consist of sand or other small particles. The lack of sand and small particles creates voids in the concrete. The voids that area created are the reason why water is able to pass through a porous concrete mix. Porous concrete is used for low traffic areas such as parking lots and pavements. The main purpose of porous concrete is to reduce or even eliminate storm water runoff which has a number …

Vrishabhavathi Valley Wastewater Treatment Plant System Upgrade, Vijay Chellaram, Christian Miller

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

Sixteen activated sludge tanks, eight secondary clarifiers, and four return pump stations were designed for the Vrishabhavathi Wastewater Treatment plant in Bangalore India. The design included tank dimensions, mechanical equipment associated with each component, pipe sizes for the piping system, and a cost estimate with a construction schedule. The activate sludge tanks were designed to be made of reinforced concrete with a mechanical air diffuser system installed for oxidation purposes. The secondary clarifiers were designed using reinforced concrete and a mechanical sweeping mechanism to scrape up the sludge as it settles to the bottom of the tank. Return pump stations …